


And The Starry Sky

by teagay



Series: it's like devilman but wholesome [1]
Category: Devilman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crybaby Universe, Fluff, M/M, No Spoilers, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 16:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13298937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teagay/pseuds/teagay
Summary: Ryo falters before dragging Akira into his plan. Before he tells him anything, they spend the day together reminiscing and catching up. All the while Ryo contemplates his decision.They go back to Ryo's apartment where Akira convinces him to sleep under the stars like they did when they were kids. Sleepover-typical conversation ensues.





	And The Starry Sky

Ryo lead the way into his stark apartment. Akira gaped at the expanse of it; there was nearly enough space in the barren living room to run a relay event. Even at night with the lights off the space glowed with the excess of the city pouring in through floor-to-impressively-high-ceiling windows. Ryo shed his coat as he watched Akira’s unabashed awe.

“Ryo, you really live here?” Akira asked, his hushed voice more appropriate for an art gallery than an empty apartment. Akira removed his shoes and crossed the considerable distance to the windows from which he admired the view outside. The expansive terrace caught his attention. “Oh, Ryo, we could sleep out here! Under the stars like when we were kids, remember?”

“You want to sleep outside?” Ryo repeated, slightly taken aback at the request and the overwhelming wonder in his friend’s eyes. He’d forgotten how easily impressed people could be.

“Can we?” Akira asked, flashing teeth in a grin as luminous as the skyline.

“You can’t really see the stars here in the city.” Akira’s expression faltered at Ryo’s response. “But the moon’s pretty tonight. I don’t see any reason not to.” Ryo added in a hurry to extinguish Akira’s disappointment. Akira beamed, affirming Ryo’s effort.

Between the two of them and a few trips up and down stairs they built a nest out of a mattress and an abundance of pillows and blankets. Akira remarked on the number of blankets Ryo owned, which was admittedly about a dozen more than an individual would really ever need. They lay down side by side to bask in the glow of constellations. Akira asked about Ryo’s research and his life in the U.S., and thankfully seemed to take the hint when Ryo redirected the conversation back to Akira’s studies and extracurriculars. Akira’s stream of conscious naturally flowed to the topic of Miki and her family, prompting Ryo’s throat to tighten in a way he was unfamiliar with. The sensation begged his attention and he found himself only half listening to his friend. The one-sided conversation faded to a familiar and comfortable silence; both boys reminiscing in the instinctual press of their shoulders against one another and the synchronicity of their relaxed breaths. Ryo’s thoughts wound their way around the stars as he relished in the companionship. After a little eternity of uncounted minutes he turned on his side, his temple leaning into his palm. Akira’s soft brown eyes flitted from the void to Ryo, and then he propped himself up on his side to mirror the blond’s body language.

“Akira,” Ryo said, as if his friend’s attention weren’t already wholly devoted to him. “Do you believe in love?” Akira’s calm intrigue cracked into a goofy grin.

“What kind of question is that?” Akira exhaled in a hearty laugh. Ryo’s irises flicked back and forth as he searched Akira’s eyes. Apparently, he didn’t find what he was looking for as he returned his pale gaze skyward. Akira, calm expression now more pensive than sleepy, followed suit in lying back down to face the stars. Something clicked into place in his thoughts, and his thumb traced another nearly as familiar as his own. The stars disappeared from his vision in a blur. 

“I’m really lucky. I have Miki and her brother and her parents. And my parents, too. I know they love me even if they’re needed more elsewhere.” He heard Ryo move beside him. Pale fingers gently contoured Akira’s cheek, erasing tears as they escaped.

“Why are you crying?” Ryo whispered through renewed tightness in his throat. Akira looked up at him before curling into Ryo’s chest. Ryo automatically stroked the back of Akira’s head.

“And I have you, Ryo. I’m sorry I laughed. I believe in love because I’ve always had it. And I know you have it, too. Even if you don’t recognize it.” Ryo just kept stroking Akira’s hair as he absorbed the muffled words in dumbstruck silence. Scrawny arms wound their way around Ryo’s waist--he had to arch his back for the second to reach underneath--and clung tightly to his midsection. He could feel dampness in the front of his shirt. His fingers cupped the back of Akira’s head protectively in a gesture he’d repeated a thousand times.

“I don’t understand, Akira. Why does this make you sad?” Ryo asked. Akira sniffed loudly as only a child does and moved to rest his head in the crook of Ryo’s neck as his arms squeezed Ryo’s waist. He couldn’t be sure amongst the crying, but Ryo could’ve sworn he heard a laugh in the form of a shaky breath.

“Because I love you, Ryo. And you’re so sad you’re not even sure love is real.” Akira hushed in a small voice with the power to rearrange the planets if he asked them to, leaving Ryo feeling nearly breathless with the impact of it.

Sad? The concept felt miniscule, beneath him. He’d thought himself above such things, but the inexplicable tightness in his chest and throat said otherwise. Something started to tickle at the corners of his eyes and he urgently blinked the sensation away. Sad was something infinitesimal, unworthy of acknowledgement. But this warmth expanding in his chest--not from his friend’s tears or melancholy breaths but from the depths inside, radiating outward--this was immense. The vastness of space hanging above them could not compare to this moment in its magnitude. This was the pinnacle, this was what Ryo wanted.

Humanity as a whole was inconsequential, let alone one single human. Yet Ryo, for all he was, trusted his best friend’s unshakeable belief. Ryo adjusted his position so he was lying on his back with Akira strewn across him, still nestled in the crook of his neck. He wrapped one arm tightly around Akira’s back and the other held the back of Akira’s head, tracing gentle circles into the nape of his neck as his shaky breaths grew more and more relaxed. All the while Ryo watched the sky with a fierceness atypical of stargazing.

And he swore to the stars he was never letting go.

☆

**Author's Note:**

> i got sick in the middle of the night and wrote this while sitting on the bathroom floor so i hope it was enjoyable for what it is?? lol


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